Cover the lower county in a combination 24 mile road tour and under 30 minute hike through the pretty SOUTH Columbia countryside. You'll visit five covered bridges. Answer a question at each bridge to determine the coordinates for an ammo box hidden in State Game Land SGL#58. Hunting in process in SGL's. Wear flourescent orange. Be careful.
Davis Covered Bridge
 Kid Friendly  Dogs Allowed
 Hunting in SGL - use caution  Scenic View  Ticks |
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See the 3 other companion Columbia County Covered Bridge caches. They allow you to tour the entire county. Each of the 4 cache tours stands on its own. Each tour takes you through a different scenic area of the county and includes a short hike to an ammo box in a different, nearby SGL.
If you plan ahead, you can link all 4 caches in one giant loop. See the Bridge Locator Maps below. Or you can do each of the 4 tours on its own. One map shows all 4 tours for an overview. The other shows the tour for the cache on this page. The maps postd below aren’t necessary for the tours although they are good for orientation. The coordinates for each bridge are given below. However, a detailed road map or auto-navigation will be very helpful to get you around. The county has a nice brochure with detail map you can download in PDF. Again, it's not necessary to do the cache.<<BR> http://www.itourcolumbiamontour.com/covered_bridges_map.pdf
or have mailed to you
http://www.itourcolumbiamontour.com/mail.html
Also nice, although not mandatory, are the SGL topo maps here:
http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/game/maps/default.asp?rgn=Northeast
Select the SGL by number to download a PDF map file.
Or be adventurous and skip the maps and follow the arrow on your GPS! You might get a little lost, but each turn will provide another nice surprise.
If you enjoy tours like this one, check out my other covered bridge caches.
Good luck. Take your camera. Take your dog. Take your kids – all the caches have nice goodies for young and old.
Start at this bridge:
A. Johnson Covered Bridge N40 52.690 W76 29.000 spans Mugser Run, a tributary of the South Branch of Roaring Creek in Cleveland Township. It is on Township Route 320 east of Knoebel's Grove Amusement Park. This bridge was constructed in 1882 by Daniel Stine for $799.00. Adam M. Johnson was a farmer in the area and also conducted a boot and shoe store near the site. .
Johnson quiz- What number is on the power pole located 40 feet before the north portal on the east side?
1. E-10
2. E-20
3. E-30
ENTER A answer (1, 2 or 3) = ________
B. Paars Mill Covered Bridge N40 54.385 W76 28.362 connecting Franklin and Cleveland Townships, spans the North Branch of Roaring Creek. F. L. Shuman constructed this bridge in 1866 for $1,275.00. In 1875, Washington Parr purchased the Willow Grove Grist Mill nearby, and it became better known as Parr's Mill.
Paars Mill quiz- What is the single-digit number (numeral) attached to the utility pole at the southwest end of the bridge?
1. 2
2. 4
3. 6
ENTER B answer (1, 2 or 3) = ________
C. Esther Furnace Covered Bridge N40 54.399 W76 27.586 There is a huge camping field adjacent to this bridge if you decide to camp out. Built in 1881 by C. W. Eves, this bridge cost $1,044.75. It is named after the Esther iron smelting furnace built in 1817. It spans the North Branch of Roaring Creek.
Esther Furnace quiz- What is the top number posted on the sign above the south portal?
1. No. 11
2. Clearance 10' 0"
3. 4 Ton Weight Limit
ENTER C answer (1, 2 or 3) = ________
D. Davis Covered Bridge N40 54.592 W76 26.390 If you drive north through the bridge to the top of the hill, you’ll see a beautiful view of the bridge as shown in the picture above. The bridge spans the North Branch of Roaring Creek. It was built in 1875 by Daniel Kostenbauder at a cost of $1,248.00. In the late 1800s a Davis who lived on a nearby farm began repairs on the bridge, giving it his name.
Davis quiz- What is on the yellow caution sign on the SW corner of the bridge?
1. Clearance 8’6”.
2. Beware of oncoming traffic.
3. One lane bridge.
ENTER D answer (1, 2 or 3) = ________
E. Snyder Covered Bridge N40 54.080 W76 23.652 Spanning the North Branch of Roaring Creek, the construction date, builder, and cost of this bridge are unknown. It is listed in the County Bridge Book as being near John Snyder's grist mill.
Snyder quiz- What is written on the square plaque above the 9ft 0in Clearance sign above the portal to the bridge?
1. SNYDER No.16
2. SNYDER No.17.
3. SNYDER No.18.
ENTER E answer (1, 2 or 3) = ________
Cache Coordinates:
Enter the number for each of your five answers and add them up:
A______ + B ________ + C _______ + D_______ + E _______
= Total ________
The coordinates for the cache are determined by your total. Only one set of coordinates is correct.
If your total is 7, the cache coordinates are: N40 55.269 W76 17.247
If your total is 8, the cache coordinates are: N40 55.337 W76 17.404
If your total is 9, the cache coordinates are: N40 55.298 W76 17.317
If your total is 10, the cache coordinates are: N40 55.232 W76 17.348
If your total is 11, the cache coordinates are: N40 55.241 W76 17.269
If your total is 12, the cache coordinates are: N40 55.304 W76 17.193
The entrance into SGL is 2 miles from here N40 55.410 W76 16.023 Start your hike from parking spot. N40 55.251 W76 17.189
Cache is on State Game Land. Wear orange during hunting season. The cache coordinates might be off a little so I've given a very explicit hint. Any closer coordinates you get would be nice if you email them to me. Obviously, you should NOT post them in your log on the web. Please cover the ammo box with some leaves so no passer-bys will see it from the trail.
Encrypted hint beneath poem.
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Sweet Brandywine!
Let's drift back to the 'olden days'
The pace 'twar slow, the livin' fine-
Kick off yer shoes, roll up yer pants
Wiggle yer toes in Brandywine!
Pickin' wild berries in the bresh
In itchy, dirty, torn ol' clothes-
Gnats, 'skeeters, crawlin up yer nose!
The bobbin' cork's atwitchin' hard
Fightin' mad, 'twar thet ol' catfish-
Mama fried 'em, juicy n' sweet
My, warn't thet a lip smackin' dish!
O'er the Old Covered Bridge, we'd run
Skim stones 'crost the clear, ripplin' stream-
Take a dip near the noisy Dam
Lie down to rest- dream on, sweet dream!
Stumblin' round in thick bramble stand
Scratches 'long our hot, sweaty face-
Thorns snagged in our arms, legs, and tush
Not sure we'd e'er leave thet dern place!
Such joys we had in youngster ways
Fishin', swimmin', life 'twar sublime-
Songs n' laughter, soft carefree days
All up n' down Sweet Brandywine!
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By James Whitcomb Riley
From Riley in Memoriam, by John H. Morgan. 1989
Bristol Banner Books. Page 107
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